Ok, so I took a look at both boats today. Went to see the Supercat 17 first.
Took a bunch of pictures and uploaded them to photobucket
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/DangerMouse_06/Boats/I'm not a big fan of photobucket, sorry that they are not in any particular order and that I don't know how to embed them in this forum.
First thing I noticed was that there were some cracks in the paint around where I assume would be stress points. I didn't detect any obvious delaminating there or anywhere else for that matter.
Second thing I noticed was that the tramp was a mess. It doesn't have any tears in the middle but the seams are all coming undone. I don't know whether to put it in the repair or replace category.
I apologize ahead of time for my lack of terminology knowledge. The pulleys, brackets, and wires all looked in great shape. None of the pulley wheels were chipped or binded. The wires looked fairly new, and had no freying.
Whether everything was there...unfortunately I don't know. Would have been nice to have someone there who could tell but like I said, the gentleman who had offered to come with ended up not coming because of the distance.
The mast looked ok from what I could see. I didn't see any bends, bows or dents. Again, I don't know if all the attaching hardware was there but what was there was in good shape.
The rudders were detached from the hulls. They're the type that flip up for beaches. The rope within that mechanism, along with all the rope elsewhere, needs to be replaced without a doubt.
There was some damage to one of the rudders which I took pictures of. One of the top brackets on a hull was slightly loose. I can only guess that the damage to the bottom of the rudder blade and a slightly loose top "bracket" = someone forgetting to flip the rudders up before landing on a beach. It didn't seem too serious though. He didn't know where the bar was to attach the two rudders together, and didn't know where the attaching hardware was, or the tiller. They may be buried in his storage and he promised we would find them.
There were also some cracks below where the cross members met the hull. Again, looked cosmetic to me, a layman. Neither hull flexed when I shook the front of it up and down. The seller said that the hull should be resealed at the cross members, as it hadn't been done in a long time.
Each hull had a... port that could be opened to gain access within. These were located at the back of each hull between the two rudder mounts. Below was a small drain plug. I opened the right port hole and took a picture. At first, I didn't notice the water that was sitting at the bottom. In the picture I took you can see it.
I don't know if this is a big deal and I didn't ask him about it because for some reason it didn't dawn on me until I saw the picture after I got home. Now that I think about it I was in my car, ready to follow him to his storage to look at the sails when a lawn care guy pushed the boat to mow under it. I noticed some water drain out.
I recall reading that some water is normal and ok, to a point. I don't know what that point is though.
The bottom of the boat looked ok but there were a few parts that looked like the paint had been totally chipped off. The extreme bottom had a strip about an inch wide of "paint" that was whiter than the rest of the boat and was on top of the paint. It looked like it was brushed on. I don't know if that was bondo or what. I took a picture.
I don't know if the water is from a leak in the bottom or from rain, sitting out for so long. I imagine it could be either one, or both. He said it hasn't been in the water for years. Only way to test it would be to put it in the water I would think.
What else... The trailer, is a home made contraption. It started its life as a galvanized trailer that tilted back to get boats off and on. It was then welded so that it couldn't tilt, and an arm was welded to the front for laying the mast on, and a "bulldog" hitch was welded on the front. The electric lighting needs work. Looks like the wiring is ok but the lights themselves need replacing. One tire is missing and I would have to replace both anyway, probably bearings too. He said they were "buddy bearings."
A few of the rollers are jacked up and would need to be replaced as well. Other than that, trailer looks sound. Don't think it would fall apart on the road. Welds looked ok. Arm that holds the mast is adjustable so I wouldn't have to worry about leaving the mast at the first underpass.
Finally, we went to his storage. After a very brief look found the mainsail and the bar that attached the two rudders. No "spinniker"? and no tiller. He again promised they would be in there somewhere and we could find them later, as he had to leave.
The sail seemed to be in good shape. No tearing, freying, grommits all present and accounted for. None of the battens were broken, and a small jolly roger was attached. arrrrrrrr
Thou I concentrated on the negatives, if those negatives are minor things than overall I think the boat was in good shape. If any of those things raise big red flags however...
I feel it important to mention the sellers character. As I said before, he is a friend of the family, a retired sherrif, and a great guy. He wouldn't lie to push this thing on me. There may be things that he isn't totally knowledgeable about though. He's not a guy who frequents cat forums and races and stuff. He bought this thing to take out and have fun with, then it sat for a while. He a dabbler, if you know what I mean.
That reminded me, there was not a serial plate that we could find. All we could find was the name of the boat dealer and an address and phone number.... Is this an issue?
No title either. In the state of Texas at the time that he bought it only a bill of sale was necessary. I believe the same is true today.
Post is getting long, I'll explain the second boat in another post.
I hope I haven't put anyone to sleep yet!
